An Acquired Taste
by Cerveza
Summary: AnkoKaka, AU. Dating non-slithering beings is not Anko's forte, so Kurenai has to step in and get her a blind date. Unfortunately, he doesn't look like anything she's expected - and not in a good way.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey-o! Ramadan Mubarak for everyone celebrating it. **

**I haven't written about my top-two favorite Naruto characters in a while, so I think I'll whip up some of modern Konoha city's AU story for you KakaAnko lovers. **

**Let me know what you think of the first chapter. I've got lots more in store of what's to come and I hope I'll surprise you. So please bear with me. :D**

**For any Japanese word that might sound unfamiliar, I'll include the glossary below each chapter.**

**Enjoy, wonderful readers!**

**UPDATE: Summary and chapter 1 revised.**

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He didn't look like anything she had expected. The advertising campaign that Kurenai had relentlessly spread over the past week got her anticipating for an artsy, perhaps almost hipster dude with leather jacket and sleek hairdo. Anko thought at first, yeah, she could deal with that. At least those guys usually smell nice.

Instead, the one who was now staring at her under such heavy lidded eyes that she was convinced he was at least half-asleep was a pathetic excuse of a man, reeking of something Anko suspected to be dog piss. His face was part covered by a flu mask and Anko wasn't sure how long since he last had a good bath – let alone if he was even familiar with the concept of grooming.

She gave her friend-slash-flatmate a good measure of ankle kicking under the table, on which the latter didn't even let out a wince and threw a conniving smile at the man sitting across them.

"So, Kakashi. What do you do for a living?" Kurenai said, unflustered.

The guy regarded the two women with the remotest hint of interest, as if he was talking to one of the dusty decorative ferns tucked in the corner of this restaurant.

"I take photographs."

"Oh, you mean you're a photographer?" Kurenai's obviously fabricated chirp almost made Anko gag on her skirt. "That's awesome!_"_

"No, I mean I put up a signboard on the side of the road telling tourists I'll take their photos for 1000 yen per picture."

"Well, that... sounds fun."

"Yeah, business' been pretty good," the man replied. He scratched his head offhandedly. Anko could only pray there wouldn't be apparition of lice poking up to say hello.

"Well, Anko here has an interesting job as well. Go on, Anko, tell him."

"I get paid to hurt people," Anko said in a flat tone.

_"She's not serious," _Kurenai's damage control consisted of calmly stabbing Anko's feet with her 8-foot stiletto heel, "She's a judo instructor for teenagers."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose a fraction. "Ah."

Anko managed to produce a grunt of response as she strained to keep her eyes from watering. As a result, an eternity of silence ensued, only broken when Asuma arrived with one of his friends from work, whom Anko recognized as Genma – the guy who seemed to be perpetually high.

Within seconds of sitting Asuma had already lit a fresh batch of tobacco, puffing smoke upon each word he said. "You guys are early, I see. That's new for Kakashi."

"I can be early if I wanted to," Kakashi said. Asuma didn't seem to hear him.

"Everyone having fun?"

"Oh, we're having a jolly good time._" _Kurenai grinned. Anko gripped the beer mug in her hand like it had done her a personal offense and gulped down its content. She never liked the taste, in truth. Why have it bitter when you can have it sweet? But necessity of the situation trumped her preference at the moment.

"There's just one more left, innit? Shizune?" Asuma asked, cigarette wiggled between his nicotine-stained lips.

Kurenai nodded. "She'll be here in 5 minutes, then we can start."

They kept their gaze lingered at each other before looking away: Asuma busied himself with Genma; Kurenai suddenly got so fascinated with her fingernails. Anko almost gave an audible snort.

It was excruciating to watch their on again, off again "non"-relationship. Especially for Anko, who was involuntarily given the front row seat to their late-night rendezvous soaked with alcohol and self-pity. Anko would pretend to stay asleep when she heard the front door of her flat opened at two A.M., footsteps rustled and whispers rushed, and the faint waft of stale tobacco when Anko came to breakfast the next morning. Once there was even a cigarette butt left stuffed in the dirt of Kurenai's potted begonia—this being a blatant proof, Anko frowned at the blushing Kurenai who mumbled that 'it was just for this one time'.

Knowing them, there would always be another of their 'just for this one time' in the next weekend or so.

She wished they'd just get on with it already; the only ones they're fooling are themselves. The way Kurenai's eyes light up when she mentioned Asuma's name or the way he fumbled with his cigarette pack when she was around sent clear enough signal that they were more than just friends with benefits. Anko raised this notion once to Kurenai, but she just looked at her as if being younger by four years meant Anko was none the wiser, said nothing, or unabashedly changed the subject.

Anko herself had thought she'd been in love once, but it wasn't. It was admiration turned into adoration, then total devotion, and eventually destruction.

He was her high school biology teacher and Anko was much too young for him. Anko had never had a real father growing up, and her mother was more absent than around. Then along came Orochimaru-sensei, with his gentle hands and mellifluous voice and nurturing charisma, to become the closest thing she ever had to a father, and a lover. She would hang around his class long after the bell rang to offer her help, but mostly she just enjoyed watching him. And he was more than welcoming.

It wasn't at all for the grades. It was for the comfort he offered when the world seemed to take a toll on her. It was for the feeling that she, too, chaotic and unmanageable she was, could be loved.

She was smitten.

On the night of her graduation, he asked for something more. He asked for the whole of her, in exchange that they could be together forever. She complied. She wake up the next morning to find that he'd left the city without a word and never came back since.

Feeling hurt and betrayed, all the way through college she never so much as went out on a date. Of course for Kurenai that was a problem of astronomical proportion, next to zombie apocalypse. Anko said she was perfectly fine, thank you very much, she didn't need a man in her life, she had her pet snakes—that of which, Kurenai pointed out while cringing, is _exactly _the problem.

Even as a roommate, Kurenai never objected to Anko's fondness of serpents, up until the moment she went home from work to see Anko "made out" with one of her darling pets ("I was only trying to feed him chicken from my mouth!" Anko cried, as if it made it any less creepy). She decided it was time to put her foot down. In Kurenai's eyes, Anko _desperately _needsa guy like a diabetic patient needs insulin shots.

"I've arranged a goukon on this Saturday night," she said. "For you and Shizune. Asuma's friends are going to be there and I will hear no objections."

Anko's protested in any way she could think of, but Kurenai was a mountain made of steel. Anko should've known better that nothing would move her, considering she'd known and lived with her for the last five years. When they first met, Anko was a freshman in Kurenai's old university. Their school had this program on which alumni was given an option to provide accommodations for the new students. Kurenai got a spare room since her former flatmate, Shizune, had to move out from the place they used to shared together, and she agreed to rent it with an incredibly economical price. Anko, being penniless, jumped at the opportunity.

She remembered knocking at the front door to meet an attractive woman with rich black curls down her back and lips the reddest color she'd ever seen. The flat was not that big, but everything was sleek clean to the point of near-blinding. Near the window stood a variety of plants and flowers, all looked well-nourished, indicating the fastidiousness of the owner. Anko was intimidated, to say the least, but the rent was just too tempting, and Kurenai didn't even mind if she brought along slithering animals as long as Anko do all the caring and making sure they do not stray anywhere unguarded. So she was sold.

Anko had no idea that this fussy albeit caring woman would end up to be the big sister figure she'd never had.

Anko elbowed Kurenai hard on the ribs, snapping her from her daze. "What?"

"The ladies room," Anko growled. _"Now."_

Kurenai trailed off behind her and closed the lavatory door. She faced her friend with an almost self-satisfied smirk.

"So? He's great isn't it?"

To say that Anko was incredulous at Kurenai's total lack of remorse would be an understatement. "Seriously?"

"Well… I might have exaggerated a little bit about him…"

"You called that exaggeration? I didn't put on this whorific costume you call a dress and splatter my face with rainbow war paint for that… that _hobo!"_

"Anko, that is rude!" Kurenai made a shush-ing gesture; Anko wasn't famous for speaking in a low volume.

Anko rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms on her chest, leaning on the sink with lips pursed. "This whole goukonthing is a stupid idea anyway."

"Anko, I'd rather _slit my wrists _than watching you canoodling another reptile," Kurenai said, holding one finger up to silent Anko's disapproval even before she had the chance to say anything. "You need a real, living, breathing, male human beinginteraction before it's too late. Now could you please act like an adult for a secondand take a chance on him? Or you'd rather see your pets mysteriously transported into someplace God only knows where?"

Anko threw the dirtiest look she could muster. "Fine," she said, nonetheless. "But only if you take off half of my rent next month."

Kurenai scoffed. "Not a chance."

When they walked back to their table, Shizune was already there, apparently hitting it off pretty easily with the stoned one—sorry, Genma. Asuma was chugging on his beer and _that_ other one, Kakashi, was just sitting there looking like a disheveled totem. Anko sighed, dejectedly. Here goes nothing.

o0o

As smooth as group dating could go, the tonight's goukon successfully produced one new connection—only it doesn't include Anko. Shizune had expressed his favorable impression through the entire proceeding (it was normal to whisper about the guys with your girl friends, even when they're right in front of you), and she won't shut up about him since.

"Not to mention he has _excellent_ taste in music," Shizune chattered from behind the wheel. She was giving Kurenai and Anko a lift back to their flat in her car. Being a physician, Shizune gave out the air of a sophisticated, professional young woman. Her dresses were chic, her shoes designer-made, her perfume smelled like a million dollar. But once you got to know her, you'd be surprised how much of a teenager she was at heart. She even had this life-size stuffed pig she named Tonton that she carried with her everywhere she went, even to bed. Her attachment to Tonton which mirrored Anko's to snake probably what urged Kurenai to involve her in tonight's goukon. _Well, mission accomplished for her_, thought Anko.

"Anyway, he asked me to go to this really cool concert this weekend with him. I mean, I never knew anyone who liked the same music as I do before I met him. It's like it's written in the stars."

"That's wonderful," Kurenai said, absent-mindedly. She had the rest of her attention at her mobile phone, which she was now typing on vehemently. Shizune wasn't noticing, still too busy listing aloud all the pluses of Genma, but Anko did take a peek. Kurenai was texting Asuma.

Anko mentally groaned. Pity she was such a light sleeper; once they got home, she had to prepare extra pillows to drown the sound of Asuma's inevitable visit.

"By the way, Anko," Shizune glanced from the rearview mirror. "You're awfully quiet tonight. Was it going well for you and Kakashi?"

Anko avoided her eyes and chose to look outside the window. "Fine."

"Tsk, doesn't sound like it, dear." Shizune said. "Did you even exchange numbers?"

"Oh, Kakashi will call her all right," Kurenai piped in, dropping her phone back to her handbag. "Just wait and see."

Anko puffed a 'whatever'. No, she and Kakashi didn't exchange numbers. They barely even changed more than two words the whole time, and that was because of Kurenai fishing it from them back and forth. It was so unbearable.

"Anyway, Shizune-san, I've been meaning to ask you," Anko thought it was best to change the topic. "Do you know anything about the murder near your workplace a few days ago?"

Shizune's expression turned grim. "Yeah, actually. It was horrible, wasn't it? The victim used to work in administration at my hospital. I didn't know her personally, but they said she quit last year to get her degree. That was the last we've heard of her, until they found her body in the dumpster…"

She seemed to be contemplating something, then said, "Let me tell you something I got from a friend of mine in the force. It turns out that that girl wasn't the first one. These past three months, there have been two other identical cases in the other parts of the city. Same age, around mid-twenties, same height, same method of killing… The Konoha police have been trying to cover it up, now with the mayoral election coming up and all."

"So you're saying, right now, there is a serial killer on the loose? In Konoha?" Kurenai said, a shudder coating her words.

"Why do you think I drove you guys home anyway?" Shizune said. "Even if Anko could mangle the limbs of that son of a bitch—which I have no doubt she can—we can never be too careful."

Nobody said anything more until Shizune's car reached Anko's apartment building. "Arriving," Anko said, eager to get back to the safety of her room and to her beloved pets.

"Well, thank you for giving us a lift, Shizune," Kurenai said. "See you later."

"No problem," Shizune waved as they got out of the car, and added with a cheery yell, "Thank you for the awesome goukon!"

o0o

Anko didn't feel like talking with Kurenai, so she said to her she was going to call it a night. She made sure all her snakes were fed and safe on their boxes before going to sleep. Or rather, trying to.

She squeezed her eyes shut for the umpteenth time, only to have it wide open again. Somehow the image of her high school sensei kept creeping back. His long black hair, his lithe figure as he bent over her and lingered his touches on her shoulder blades, his breath so close to her like they were breathing the exact same air, his caresses that made her shiver in excitement…

She didn't regret what happened. She knew full well it was with her consent. She was already eighteen when it occurred, old enough to recognize right from wrong. What she couldn't accept was how he discarded her so easily after what happened as if she was nothing. As if what they had was nothing. But then again, it most certainly _was_ to him.

_How could he do this? He knew that to me, it was everything. It was all I had._

Anko had repeated this question over a billion times in her head, imagined a scenario where they came face to face and what would she say then, but nothing helped her to forgive him. Over time, the pain and the anger did subside into nothing more than a dull ache—no longer painful, only unsettling, but the memory stayed afresh.

On the far side of her room, one of her snakes rustled in his glass box.

Anko finally fell into an uneasy but deep sleep. She didn't even hear the usual quiet arrival of a certain male figure and the female's muffled giggles as midnight came and went.

***tbc**

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**_Goukon: _**A group blind date, typically used to form at least some friendships between two group that are each of a single sex.

**_Arriving!: _**Not a Japanese phrase per se, but it _is _Anko's favorite phrase. Couldn't resist putting it in. :3

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**Thanks for reading. Got some reviews to share?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2 updated. Happy reading, minna-san. :)**

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"Pathetic!" Anko roared. "This kid is like 20 kilos lighter than you and you can't even bloody toss him?"

The two boys scrambled before her, panting, wincing in unison. They were practicing _seoi nage _that day_. _The boy she was yelling at was supposed to practice throwing his opponent flat on his back, but he failed miserably and both boys were toppling over each other, which of course enraged Anko.

"I'm sorry, sensei," the bigger boy spluttered. "I- I- I just don't feel really well today. I have a- a cough, you see."

Anko slammed him with the utmost scathing look. "Really, huh? A cough? Then what is this?"

She grabbed a small blue cigarette package out of her pocket for her whole students to see. "Yes, that's right. I nicked this from your bag. You don't seem to be having troubles smoking them before class with that _cough, _didn't you, Akigawa? What, you think I didn't see you?"

Akigawa's mouth hung open. His face turned the ugliest shade of purple.

Anko crushed the package with her hands. "Now give me 25 laps, you loggerheaded maggot pie!"

"But- but-"

"Do I hear objection? Make that 40 _laps!"_

The boy learned to keep his mouth shut and started running, while the rest of the students earnestly made a silent oath to never, ever cross the ruthless lady.

After the day's lessons ended, Anko set off to the locker room for a fresh set of clothes. The washroom in youth center, where the judo practice was held, was so often under construction that even if she was dripping in sweat she had to delay showering until she could get home. This was one of those days.

She was putting on a shirt on when her phone rang. It was Kurenai.

"Anko, I need your help," she sounded panic. "Can you get down to Cocanoca Café as soon as you possibly can? It's urgent, no time to explain!"

Alarmed, Anko dashed off without thinking much of anything else.

Cocanoca Café was one of the places they frequent, since it was only a few blocks away from their flat. They mainly serve desserts, foreign and local, and all of them were mindblowingly delicious. The café was also relatively popular among youths for dates due to their very homely atmosphere.

Anko walked in and scanned the place with her eyes, but there were no signs of her flatmate. She decided to sit at the nearest empty table and call Kurenai when suddenly—

"Have you seen Asuma?"

The familiar voice made her look up, and got her stunned. It was Kakashi.

But he wasn't the same as she last saw him. This time he definitely _had _showered. His silver hair was clean, only slightly ruffled from the wind. His clothes were also looked freshly ironed.

Kakashi's eyebrows were pinched together in confusion above his flu mask. "He told me to meet him here for something important, but he didn't tell me what."

Anko gaped. "I got a call from Kurenai saying exactly the same…"

It didn't take long for both of them to put things together.

"Well," Kakashi sighed. "I believe that we have been fallen victims to the oldest trick in the book."

Anko was _so _going to murder Kurenai after this. Quietly. In her sleep.

"Right," Anko said. Fortunately, she was thirsty enough to choose to stay rather than stomp the hell out of that place. She seized the menu card on the table and started reading furiously.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Kakashi asked. Anko just made a non-committal shrug and he took a place in front of her. She caught a whiff of faint sandalwood soap when he did.

She called the waiter to order a large chocolate milkshake, but as the man turned to Kakashi, he just waved him away. "None for me, thanks."

They sat in silence, not looking at each other. The awkwardness was thick enough to be sliced by a katana. Anko shifted her eyes to her mobile phone, and cursed silently when realizing the battery's dead.

"Hey, do you have a phone charger I can borrow?" she asked Kakashi. She just noticed they have the same phone.

Kakashi nodded and slid the charger on the table. Anko muttered a 'thanks' and plugged it in the power outlet next to her. Kakashi gave her a strange look, almost like he was amused. "What?" Anko snapped.

"Do you always wear your clothes that way?"

She looked down at her shirt and her jaw dropped to her chest. Her t-shirt and her shorts were all worn inside out. In a one in a million chance, this happened _today, _with _him _as the audience. Perfect. Just _perfect._

"So what if I do?" Anko pulled the last bit of what was left of her dignity to throw him a snarky remark, while her gradually flushing face betrayed the effect. "They- they are dirty on the other side. I'm just saving myself less laundry to do."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared. "Right."

She almost screamed with delight when the waiter came carrying her order. At least she'd have something to do to save her from further embarrassment.

"Ah, crap," Kakashi checked his phone. He hastily stood up, slinging his bag to his shoulder.

"I really got to go now. Sorry. It's been, um, nice."

Anko had a feeling that this was his way of bailing out from their extremely uneasy encounter, but she didn't mind. Not even a bit. She would've done the same thing in a heartbeat.

"Yeah, sure," Anko said, her fingers tweaking the straw of her drink.

"Well, bye."

"Bye."

And with just that, he left. Anko let out a relieved sigh. Then before she could help it, she sniggered, because whatever it was Kurenai was planning, it failed. It was unlikely for them to ever see each other again, thank heavens.

Anko decided that she deserved a little treat after the whole ordeal. Having her milkshake drained, she ordered another dessert, a slice of three-layered green tea cheesecake, then afterwards a plate of ice cream-filled mochis for the hell of it. For Anko, there was never any reason to cut back on her sweet tooth cravings. She was always proud of her incredibly fast metabolism, which was also the source of envy from many of her friends, especially Kurenai. Speaking of Kurenai…

Anko grabbed her phone to monitor the status of her battery. It was enough to make a phone call, so she unplugged the charger—

Wait. The charger.

He forgot his charger.

That means she got to return it to him.

That means whether she liked it or not, they _had _to meet again.

"Shit!" Anko cried out, earning scandalized looks from everyone in the café.

o0o

"Hello dear Anko, how was the date?" Kurenai's singsong voice resounding from her phone speaker did nothing to soothe Anko's fury.

"A date? You're lucky I'm not going up there to your office and judo-throw your ass!" Anko spat. She could almost feel Kurenai flinching on the other end.

"Calm down, Anko. What happened? Is something wrong?" Kurenai sounded worried, and Anko immediately felt guilt for yelling at her.

She inhaled a deep breath to control herself. Once. Twice. Somehow it worked.

"Sorry I shouted. It's just,_ I can't believe you_! Fooling me into thinking you're in danger when you're really setting me up behind my back. Never do this to me again, understand?"

Kurenai huffed. "So it's really that bad, isn't it?"

"_Kurenai, I swear—"_

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have done that. But I really thought that you and Kakashi could get along if you just tried, you know. That's why Asuma and I agreed to do this for you—"

"Whatever," Anko cut her short. "It doesn't matter anymore. Can you tell me that Kakashi guy's address right now? It's important. _And don't ask questions."_

Anko heard puff of breath coming from Kurenai. She knew the older woman was biting her lip so hard to keep it from making any comment.

"Okay, I won't, but that's just because I got a meting soon and you need to relax. I'll ask Asuma about the address. After we get home, we'll talk. Okay?"

"Fine," said Anko, and hung up.

She was still in the café's ladies' room, which was painted in explosions of pastels colors and decorated with various pictures of cartoon desserts. She checked her reflection in the mirror, hanging on the wall like a picture with muted green frame. Grudgingly she took off her clothes and put them on again, this time in the right way.

A few moments later her phone buzzed. A text message from Kurenai, forwarding Asuma's text with Kakashi's address. It was on Senjuoka district; not very far from here, but not too close either. She just needed to take a railway train from Rindou Line and got off in the second station. Seems easy enough. Besides, it was only two thirty in the evening, not the end of office hours yet, so the trains were rather likely to be more vacant.

She splashed a bit of water from the sink to her face, flattened her hair to make her look more presentable, and set off.

o0o

This so far wasn't one of Anko's best days.

She didn't intend to go anywhere but her home after teaching today, so she hadn't showered since this morning. Her t-shirt clung sweatily on her back, her hair damp on her forehead and cheeks, and she suspected strongly that she was starting to smell. Her short slacks proved to be quite unfortunate too, as Anko had caught some staring eyes from perverted bastards around her. It was lucky that none of them dared to act on it—perhaps it was Anko's National Judo Association t-shirt that sent out the vibe that she was not to be messed with if they'd like to keep their bones intact.

But the worst thing of all was the baseball fans.

Anko had no idea that there would be a professional league baseball game held on where she was going. Apparently the Senjuoka district was also the home of the Hashirama Warriors, one of the most famous teams in Konoha. The team wasn't merely known for its ferocity in scoring home runs, but also for its eternal feud with the team across the town, the Madara Inferno. And now after their last year's match that resulted in the Warriors' glorious victory, the Infernos were going to settle the score in the game hosted at Senjuoka Stadium.

In order to watch the match, the Inferno's devoted fans had to take the train along the Hiruzen Line which went all the way to the station right next to the stadium. And this is where Anko's prediction that the train wouldn't be too crowded was crashing around her ears.

Gasping for air, she found herself standing squashed among a sea of black-and-blue-shirted middle aged men with various degrees of body sizes. The smell of body odor and stale breath mixed with pang of alcohol was so strong that Anko had to painstakingly select which air to inhale in the very little amount of space she had. These men spoke in an even larger decibel than she ever did, and that alone was an incredible feat.

She didn't know why she had to put up with this much trouble to return the damn charger herself. If he needed it, he could just borrow it from someone else for the time being while Anko mailed it to his house, right? It could've been that simple.

_Maybe it's because you __**want **__to see him again?_

"Don't be stupid."

She didn't realize she was saying it aloud until some of the heads jerked in her direction with acid expressions.

"Did you say something?" one of them, a large-built man with square jaw, asked her in a not-so-friendly tone.

"No, I was talking to myself, I swear," Anko replied as calm as she possibly could in the situation where her exceptional judo skills might not come in handy.

The man and some others held their acid gaze for a few seconds longer before finally turned their heads away. Anko closed her eyes in relief. Just then, the train came into a halt, and Anko's face were thrown to land squarely on the puffy chest of a rather overweight man who was slick with perspiration. Straightening up and wiping the ghastly residue off her face, she swore to God that if this weren't worth it, Kakashi would have to pay a very, _very _steep price.

o0o

Thankfully Anko had to get off sooner than those Inferno maniacs. Half-stumbling from the train, she looked around. She had never been to this part of town before.

She pulled out her phone for directions. When she typed in the address, the result it gave her made her do a double back. That couldn't be right. She showed it to a bypassing janitor and he confirmed that it was the correct place.

"Yes, the address is right. I live not far from there," said the janitor, his white hair glistened under the fluorescent light. He added with a smile, "This is where I got the puppy for my granddaughter's birthday present last autumn. Everyone there is really nice."

Anko thanked the cordial man and he left with his broom on hand. She looked at the name of the place again.

_Senjuoka Inu Kyuusai no Wa._

So Kakashi lived in a local dog shelter?

***tbc**

* * *

_**Seoi nage: **_One of the traditional throwing moves of Judo. It is done by making the opponent lose his/her balance by pulling in a straight forward or a right/left forward motion, then pick up his/her body on your back and throw it over the shoulder.

_**Inu Kyuusai no Wa: **_Literally means 'relief/rescue (place) of dogs'. In this case, a dog shelter. :)

* * *

**That's it for now. Thanks for reading, and see you soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_**Ohayou, minna-san! **_**Chapter 3 is up. Yay for the (hopefully) awaited Anko/Kakashi interaction!**

* * *

Anko shielded her eyes as Senjuoka Dog Relief building came into her focus. It was just across the street. The walk from the train station to here wasn't that long, but four P.M. was approaching and the fierce summer sun was at its full power, leaving Anko sort of wishing she'd bought one of the Hashirama Warriors hats sold outside the train station. Other than protecting her from the sun, the hat could at least hide her soggy hair before meeting Kakashi.

Why she still cared about the state of her hair at this particular moment she didn't know.

She gripped the paw-shaped door handle and went in to be immediately welcomed by the pungent smell of canine—kind of like the one she detected from Kakashi the first time they met—along with various types of barks coming from a distance. Numerous pictures of dogs in all variety adorned the walls. Under each of the picture were inscribed the name, breed, and possibly the dates of their arrival at the shelter. A big sign that said 'Adopt a Dog Friend Now' followed by a smiley face was placed on the wall opposite the entrance, above the front desk, behind which stood a female figure.

"Hello!" her smile automatically bloomed as she greeted Anko. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yeah," Anko said, distracted. The woman might be about Kurenai's age, but her big brown eyes and childish tone made her seem way younger. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair appeared to fall perfectly strand by strand, leaving Anko envious it just by looking at it. She was, for the lack of better word, really pretty.

"I'm looking for a friend."

"Sure! What breed do you like? We just got a new one, a tiny adorable corgi puppy. She's so—"

"Oh, no, no. I'm not here to adopt a dog. I think my friend lives here. His name is Kakashi?" Anko grew less sure by the seconds.

"You're looking for Kakashi-kun?" she said, eyebrows rising. Somehow, her earlier friendliness faded slightly. "I think he's still on the back. Hold on, let me get him. Wait there, please."

She pointed at a big plushy sofa near the wall. Anko nodded, "Thank you," and the girl left.

From where she was sitting she could see the dog pictures clearly. There were about a dozen of them. The light and the composition of each of the photos were done professionally, meaning the person who did the job knew what he or she was doing. Her favorite was the one featuring a chocolate-colored Labrador named Kei, who actually pouted at the camera like a natural born model.

"…but I don't think that's a wise decision," Anko heard a voice coming nearer, and why the hell was her heart suddenly beat faster anyway?

"Ah, I see. Got it, Kakashi-kun," it was the girl who answered, and they both emerged from the open door behind the front desk. Kakashi was positively bewildered to see who was waiting for him.

"Anko? What are you doing here?"

Anko stood up. "You… left your charger."

"What?" Kakashi's forehead creased.

"Your phone charger. I borrowed it earlier on the café, remember? You left it."

"Oh yeah, right," comprehension dawned on his masked face, but quickly replaced by more incredulity. "And you came all the way here just to return it?"

"I- um-" Anko stumbled for words to say, but found none. She could sense that the girl on the front desk was listening to their conversation.

_I must not blush. I must NOT blush._

"Because... I think you'll need it soon?"

Although his face was still half-covered, she could tell that he was amused.

Anko took the charger out of her bag and thrust it to Kakashi's direction, not looking at his face. "Here you go."

"Thank you very much," he said, bowing deeply. "You really shouldn't have."

"It's alright," Anko offered an offhanded hand-wave, although she knew it was a lame attempt. At least she did manage not to blush.

He put the phone charger inside his jacket pocket with his eyes still staring at her.

"So I think I better go now," Anko said, because, really, what else could she do—and was about to rush out the door when Kakashi stopped her.

"Wait," he said. "You… look thirsty. At least get a drink first before you go. I mean, I owe you that much."

Well, he was right. She _was _thirsty. She just realized she hadn't had a single drink after that overly-sweet chocolate milkshake a few hours ago. "Um, okay then."

"Great. Let's go to my place."

"Your—?" Anko said, confused. "But isn't this your address?"

"Technically, I live right _behind_ the dog shelter, on the same plot of land. I got all my mails through here anyway, so I don't think I need another address. Just a moment, though."

Kakashi walked back to the front desk, where the girl was clearly pretending she didn't just hear the whole thing. "I'm off now, Rin," he said, seizing his bag. "As always, if you need anything, just call, okay?"

"Of course, Kakashi-kun," she said cheerfully. For a split second Anko thought this Rin girl threw her a look, but that could only be her imagination.

o0o

When he said he lived right behind the shelter, Anko didn't thought that he was being literal. They merely needed to walk around the back of the place to find a cottage-ish small house with a narrow yard. It didn't even take 3 minutes.

"Home sweet home," said Kakashi, opening the door to let Anko in ahead.

Anko walked cautiously. "I'll have you know that I am a judoka with a black belt and third dan rank who can shatter the elbow of a grown man in under fifteen seconds. So if you even think of trying anything…"

Kakashi laughed. It was a rather pleasant ring of laughter, bark-like and rough, like a hound's. "That would be the last thing that crossed my mind."

Anko heard some rowdy barks and rushes of footsteps as soon as she stepped in. A moment later, a colorful breed of dogs—at least five of them—rushing to the front door to surround Kakashi, each giving him greetings with their own kind of excitement.

"Ah, let me introduce you to my eight companions," he said.

"_Eight?"_

"Yeah. Everyone, meet our guest, Anko. Anko, meet Buru, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Uhei, Guruko, and…"

With such an out of character perkiness, Kakashi lifted the smallest, grouchiest pug Anko had ever laid eyes on. "…Pakkun!"

Pakkun, displaying the expression of a grumpy old man who just swallowed a lemon whole, lifted one of his front paws.

"It's his way of saying hello," Kakashi said.

"Pleasure to meet you, Pakkun," Anko chuckled.

Kakashi lowered Pakkun back to his pack and said, "Go play outside, boys, but don't make too much mess. Remember that I've just bathed all of you this morning."

As if understanding every word, the eight dogs marched in a neat formation to the yard. There, they eventually scattered in pure, untainted joy. Kakashi turned back to Anko. "Now, what would you like to drink?"

"Cold water is fine, thank you."

From inside, his house felt more like a humble cabin: cozy but a little bit too humid. The ceilings were fairly low, on which attached a ceiling fan that didn't seem to do much good. There was only a wide space for one room that seemed to contain everything needed for the house. In the corner was the stove, fridge, cupboard, small cabinets—that's the kitchen. The kitchen angled to a closed door with a mat in front of it—must be the bathroom. The living room was two armchairs placed side by side, a coffee table, and a tiny television on top of short bookshelf. Behind it, the bedroom, which consisted solely of a half-made bed under a windowsill, an alarm clock, a small wardrobe, and an even smaller mirror. That was it.

"Sorry it's not much of a place. The building actually belongs to the dog shelter's owner. He rented it out to me with the price I can afford," Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. He indicated one of the armchairs. "Please sit down."

Anko did. Kakashi sat next to her, giving her a glass of cold water. "Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," he said, then ripped open his surgical mask.

Anko's eyes grew wide. That was the first time she got a hold of his sharp nose, thin lips, and narrow but well-refined jaw.

Combined with the entirety of his face, it struck her what fine features they were.

_I. Must. NOT. Blush._

"So, um," she cleared her throat. Situation's controlled. "I've… always wondered, do you wear that mask because of an incurable case of influenza, or just because you like it?"

Kakashi gave a short chuckle. His eyes curved when he smiled. "Yeah, I don't know. I wear it out of habit. Just don't feel comfortable going out without it. But I don't wear it around the house."

_Shame, _Anko secretly chimed in. _People won't see how great you actually look. _She couldn't help but to feel quite special.

"You didn't say you worked at an animal shelter when we met."

"Nobody asked me that."

"Kurenai did."

"No, she asked me what I do for a living. I don't get paid there; I just loved working with dogs. My eight boys used to live in the shelter too, you know," Kakashi said to Anko's raised eyebrows. "They were the oldest ones there, but after a few years still no one came to adopt them. So I did."

Even Anko had to admit that was pretty darn admirable.

"How do you feed them all?"

"I manage," said Kakashi, but then added, "with a lot of help from the shelter."

Anko took another swig of her water. There was glimpse of light from the wall beside the bed that caught her attention. She rose to see what it was.

Pictures. She couldn't see it from her earlier angle, but the wall was filled with framed photographs. The art resembled those on the dog shelter lobby, and Anko immediately knew who the photographer was.

Every single one is breathtakingly honest—none of the objects seemed to be aware that their pictures were taken. A guy scratching his butt. A foreign woman got some ice cream on the side of her nose and tried to lick it clean. An image of child captured right after he fell down, all crying and snotty-faced.

"It's brilliant," Anko said, dazed. "You took all these?"

Kakashi nodded, his face turned a little pink. "Tourists have to be convinced somehow… So I often take candid pictures of them, show them the best ones, and they will eventually want to buy it. Then from the handful of unflattering pictures that they don't want, I'll pick the funniest ones to frame and hang them here. I call it my Guilty Gallery."

Anko giggled. "Nice name."

"…And a weird hobby, I know. Come on, you can say it."

"It _is _a little weird, yeah," said Anko. "But who am I to judge? I keep three snakes as pets and feed them from my mouth."

They laughed together. After that, conversation flowed way easier than it had ever been between them. Anko couldn't believe that the two of them were actually _bonding. _Exactlywhat Kurenai was after with all the hassles she had put up.

Just as easily, she lost the track of time. It wasn't until her glance fell on Kakashi's alarm clock that she realized it was way past dusk. The last train to her neighborhood would leave in about fifteen minutes, and Anko didn't really carry any cash for a taxi.

Anko scrambled up to apologize. "I'm sorry. I think I really have to go home now. Thank you for having me here."

Kakashi nodded and followed suit. "Look, I haven't apologized for leaving you in the café today. One of the shelter dogs got food poisoning, so I need to come down as soon as I could. And… I truly appreciate your coming here to give me back the charger. It must've been a lot of trouble."

"It's nothing," she waved her hand.

"At least let me walk you to the train station, okay?"

They walked into the dry wind of a summer night and under the pale crescent moonlight. Two teenagers were some paces ahead of them, chatting animatedly about the match result between the Warriors and the Infernos this evening. Apparently the Infernos were killing it in the first few innings, but in the end the Warriors came out as the winner with some outstanding moves. She'd never taken an interest in baseball her entire life, but after a rather unpleasant experience of sharing train with the Infernos' fans, she felt an odd satisfaction hearing about their team's loss.

"You like baseball?" Kakashi said, noticing that Anko was overhearing.

"No, not at all," Anko grinned. "Their talk just happened to catch my interest, that's all."

"Well, we're here," he informed her, as their steps came into a halt in front of the station entrance.

"Thank you for keeping me company," Anko said. "It's been an interesting day, hasn't it?"

"It has," Kakashi replied.

"So I guess we'll see each other again soon?"

"We will, if you give me your number," Kakashi extended his mobile phone to Anko. His beam was evident behind the on-again mask. Anko took it and tapped in her own number, then handed it back to him.

"See you, then."

"See you."

Anko started to walk away, when he called out, "Can I take your picture some time?"

She turned her head and smiled. "I'd like that."

o0o

Kurenai was positively frantic when Anko arrived home.

"Oh my God! _Where-have-you-been_?" Kurenai flung herself to envelop Anko in a bone-crunching hug. "I've been worried sick!"

"I am twenty-three years old and it's not that late. Stop treating me like a baby, Kurenai-_san," _annoyed, Anko emphasized the honorific because she knew Kurenai hated it when she used it.

"But you're not answering my calls!" Kurenai shrilled.

"Yeah, about that…" she took out her phone and just realized the twenty-eight missed calls and nine messages Kurenai left. "I put it on silent. Sorry. But seriously—what's up with you?"

Kurenai exhaled deeply and dropped to the sofa. "There's been another murder today. I'll bet you anything it's by that psycho Shizune told us about. Look,"

On the TV, a reporter was describing the incident as the screen split to show the face and the name of the victim when she was alive. It was a young woman—a clerk at a convenience store—with Anko's age, height, and hair color. She was found in an alley with a stabbing wound to the neck.

"Yeah, they just found out about the identity. A few hours ago they only gave out the physical characteristics, and I was freaking out because it sounded so much like you. I have been… preparing myself for the worst."

Kurenai's voice trembled while she wiped a tear from her eye. No matter what she said or did, Kurenai was still the big sister Anko never had, and she knew she loved her. She took a place beside Kurenai and rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for making you worried, okay? But I can take care of myself. And if you think for a second that this bastard is going to get me that easy without at least some badly ruptured organs, then you clearly don't know me at all."

Kurenai looked back at her with a small smile.

"So where were you, exactly?" she asked.

Very unwillingly, Anko mumbled, "…At Kakashi's."

"You _what?_" Kurenai's expression shifted one hundred and eighty degree as she sat up. "So you guys hooked up? My plan actually worked on your stubborn ass? I can't believe it!"

"It's not what you think!" Anko interjected. "Okay, fine, I admit it began with your stupid plot. But then he went off in a hurry and forgot his phone charger, so I returned it to his house. That's all."

"That's why you asked me about his address," Kurenai nodded to herself. "But then again, you could just mail it to him, right? Or maybe make an appointment to meet the next day or whatever. Why bother coming in person the same day?"

Anko shrugged. "Well, he might've needed it fast, you know."

Kurenai gave the younger woman a shifty look and a smirk split across her face.

"You _like _him."

"I do _not_._"_

"You definitely _do_."

"I was just being a decent human being!"

"That quick denial, unfocused stare… Yep, you like him."

"And you are delusional," Anko rose from the sofa. "I'm going to take a shower."

That annoying singsong voice of Kurenai made a comeback and followed her to the bathroom. _"You liiiike hiiiim…"_

"Shut up!"

***tbc**

* * *

**More as the story develops. :)**


End file.
